Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Commander-in-Chief Kim Unhaeng (1)
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Japanese powerbroker Danuma Okitsugu's claim that "there is no longer anyone left in Satsuma" held a certain truth.
In the ninth lunar month of Imo year (1762), Satsuma's final stronghold, Kagoshima Castle, fell to ruin.
Including Hirado, home to Nagasaki, most of Kyushu's twenty-odd domains had crumbled one after another, yet the Shimazu held out for over a year.
Compared to Yangyang or Baghdad, however, it hardly qualified as a formidable foe. The Mongol army, bolstered by reinforcements of Green Battalion troops and heavy artillery from the homeland, methodically brought down the castle.
Rather than garrisoning inside, the Mongols thoroughly demolished it.
Then they built another structure.
The Mongol commander, General of the Left Wing of the Pacification Army Qing Gunzabu [成袞札布], strode among the towering pyramids of heads.
True to their roots as environmental warriors, the Mongols favored architecture utilizing organic materials.
From Lord Shimazu Shigihide to nameless infants, all were equally transformed into "materials" for the tower.
Of course, human heads are round, filled with squishy contents. Left as is, the rotting skulls would eventually lose form and collapse.
To prevent this, the soldiers poured quicklime over them. The hardened lime suppressed carbon emissions from decay, contributing to the Mongols' environmental ethos—a time-honored method.
Feeling the heat radiating from the lime, Qing Gunzabu furrowed his brow. Not for ethical reasons, of course.
Pondering the source of his unease, he soon arrived at his own answer.
'Too few.'
Japanese-style fortresses held limited capacity. This wouldn't do.
The Mongols had already failed twice in Junggar. That impatience revived their ancient carbon-sequestration ritual.
And since they'd already committed, they needed something far grander than this puny tower.
From horseback, Qing Gunzabu extended his hand.
"Bring more Japanese heads. Do not stop until the tower surpasses this fortress in height."
Yet it seemed the people of Kyushu still had some fate left. A messenger galloped in like the wind with urgent news.
"General! Western great ships have swarmed near Hirado Castle (Nagasaki)! Our baited vessels have all been seized or burned, and the cannon ports are already sealed!"
"What? Redhairs?"
Dutch pirate resentment over lost trade was plausible. As one of the anticipated contingencies in supply plans, Qing Gunzabu responded with disciplined command rather than panic.
But regrettably, his prediction missed the mark. He should have paid more heed to that earlier discomfort.
It wasn't mere vainglory.
It was the primal Mongol instinct sensing "environmental pollution."
The British had been unleashed upon the Far East.
The British army didn't head straight for Satsuma but landed at Nagasaki.
The captured VOC sailors knew no other place. To the Qing forces using Nagasaki as a supply base, it was a devastating blow.
However, the British prioritized securing a beachhead, so they didn't pursue the fleeing Qing navy. Had they done so, Jeju Island would have faced a truly unexpected invasion.
Instead, they secured the Japanese captives the Qing had spared for enslavement.
Captain King had exchanged gunfire with Satsuma men in Ryukyu, but all witnesses were dead. They'd treat it as never having happened and forge new ties with Japan.
"Company, disembark! Get off the ship!"
The British warships vomited soldiers like a monster birthing its young from gaping maws.
The relatively few British troops handled heavy guns, powder, and equipment, while the sepoy majority led the warhorses ashore.
"Who was that bastard just holding his musket? I said don't unshoulder even if the enemy charges right up—no exceptions! If you drop it in the sea, I'll toss you in after it! This is why those Hindustan dullards..."
"Gotta carry gear, sir. And I'm Ulster man O'Brien, if it please you."
"Same difference! Why's this Irish whelp wearing an Indian headdress, confusing everyone? Flogging, flogging it is!"
Indian sepoys had long suffered poor repute (Irishmen far longer).
Britons confidently diagnosed "hot climates" fostering sepoy "insubordination." Truly the enlightened science of an age where moss grew on skulls for nostril plugs.
Yet in any era, a company's ideal hire isn't the competent talent—it's the cheap one. Sepoys remained in demand.
Moreover, India expert Robert Clive rated them more positively.
Clive tipped his tricorn to the officer beside him.
"Hot climates cultivate explosive passion. Hindus are merely degraded by prolonged despotism."
"We need no brutes, violent and strong. Obedient, diligent men suffice."
Expeditionary Army commander Colonel William Draper replied curtly, then sourly amended his words.
"But we'll think that way regardless. Can't wage war without sepoys."
"If it rankles, leave it to the navy. Admiral Tidman will surely blockade all supplies to Japan."
"Hilarious jest. Enough? Let's move."
Interpreter James Flint had already drafted a letter in Chinese outlining accountability for the surprise attack on the British fleet, reparations for East India Company losses, and resumption/expansion of trade.
But the time to reveal it hadn't come. Flint knew the Chinese well.
Unless the British inflicted massive damage first, the letter wouldn't even reach Beijing.
And the Qing had no intention of negotiating with the British via brushstrokes. Contrary to prejudice, Mongols could write—but with imperial edict issued, unilateral talks or truces were impossible.
Thus, both armies charged into battle upon facing off.
For the British—outnumbered and unsupplied—reckless advance was suicide. Hoarse Draper wasn't stupid.
They fortified Nagasaki's streets with barricades, Dejima at their rear. Sound tactics the Qing grasped.
What lay beyond Qing comprehension wasn't tactics, but weapons.
Advancing with wooden shields against muskets—as versus Satsuma—the Qing recoiled at the 12-pounder field guns pulverizing shields and men alike with uncanny "precision."
Artillery was for suppression, not aimed fire. Even against Qing numbers, first shots were toughest.
"How! Luck?"
No luck. A rooftop spotter waved flags; elevating screws—unique to Joseon artillery in the Far East—adjusted angles.
The next barrage struck fatally.
The iron balls ricocheted like colts in a barley field. All shattered, scattered, exploded. Surging entropy spread chaos through the Qing ranks.
Robert Clive lowered his spyglass.
"Trained troops hold formation even if shells shred comrades beside them—sans orders. What discipline will the Chinese show?"
William Draper snorted.
"Bet you ten pounds. Most'll flee."
"No bet. I was wagering the same."
The Chinese fired back. But it wouldn't sway the wager.
Their shot seemed heavier than the British, but that was it. To Clive, it resembled ship guns plunked on land. Indeed, they missed the entrenched or sheltered British.
Sepoys, however, weren't "British."
Not all could hide, so (cheap) sepoys exposed heavily. British tactics fronted sepoys.
And sepoy cavalry—core strength—couldn't enter trenches or houses.
When brute bombardment fortuitously hit home once or twice at Kagoshima, sepoy chaos erupted. Not solely their fault—men endure, horses don't.
Major Joseph Smith, commanding sepoy cavalry, deemed it untenable.
He ordered retreat to cover.
"Fall back to that two-story building 150 yards flank-rear! Maintain order!"
As cavalry sluggishly withdrew along the main road, Qing Gunzabu smirked triumphantly.
He knew Western guns were potent. He sought only a sliver to reverse firepower inferiority.
Disrupted elite cavalry lines frayed firing lanes, broke cohesion. This instant, foes were solely those horsemen.
Elite cavalry—flawless judgment—defeat them, then infantry were easy prey.
"Horses rarely wheel once turned. Momentum's ours now!"
Command flags billowed.
Two thousand Mongol Eight Banners poured into Nagasaki streets, ignoring infantry decimated by British guns.
Major Smith felt his hackles rise.
But he slashed fear away with his saber.
"What do those idiots think to achieve in the streets? All hands, about-face!"
Had cavalry been caught turning, disaster—but sepoys held.
Truthfully, East India Company sepoy pay this era wasn't life-risking.
Barely above bare subsistence by Indian standards, little better than other rajas' service.
Yet the Company held an edge no Asian lord of the age—nor some 21st-century firms—possessed.
The Company paid on time.
This "discipline" compelled "honorable conduct" in sepoys. Advance-paid for expedition, they roared defiance, gripping swords and spears.
Bengal sepoys hailed mostly from upper castes. Horsemen ("sipahi") even more so.
Knights were noble eternally. Eight Banners, true aristocracy.
As lowliest British infantry swallowed hard and watched, "Mongols" and "Mughals" clashed in Kyushu.
News from the fleeing Qing fleet reached Jeju, then swiftly the court.
Liberation Squadron's report—Qing advancing north from Satsuma—confirmed it.
Big trouble.
British Nagasaki foothold aimed to sever Qing supplies. Jeju was Qing relay base. One misstep, and Jeju becomes barbarian monster battlefield.
Why can't they just kill each other off? Can't they love and live in peace?
Trouble didn't end. Naehaesa merchant Han Jungnyang's report arrived.
'Northwest, Dutch muster 500,000 invading west of Liangzhou (凉州, Xiliang)—no longer Khan's. East, Japan masses troops, supplies precarious as thread. Shandong bandits hone martial arts under Bagua (八卦, White Lotus) banner; Jiangnan heroes unite seeking last Ming emperor Yongli (Zhu Youlang)'s heirs.
Haedong, famed for rite-keepers and loyal scholars—how linger idle? If Ming revives later, no defense.'
Merchant, terrified yet duty-bound, reports humbly.>
Merchant my ass. Liberation Squadron hearsay, dodging blame.
King and State Council seemed to guess. No one asked the merchant's name.
Courtiers seemed collectively mad to me.
Inheriting Yeonguijeong Heo Jeok's blather during Sambyeolcho Rebellion that "Qing's mandate ends," fellow Southern Man Chae Jeonggong spoke for them.
"Qing will soon demand our navy. Unlike Imshin year (Sukjong ascension, Sambyeolcho), their turmoil precludes mandate claims. Beyond loyalty, self-interest demands caution."
Caution? Near treason to Qing.
If Joseon stood idle while Qing Banners perished at Nagasaki? Suspicion falls on us. No "we didn't know" excuse now. Hence isolationism.
Strike British? With our meager pirate-hunting navy? Farewell, Han Jungnyang. Good times. Fine general.
I stayed silent. No desire to entangle; drillmaster duties aren't naval. I'll plan royal evacuation.
King Yi Hwon, receiving Chae Jeonggong et al.'s proposals, summoned two trusted ministers.
First, Chief State Councillor Park Mun-su; second, Minister of Personnel Hong Bonghan.
"Crisis acute. Advance or retreat both dire. Idling means ground crumbling beneath. We need sound strategy."
Already pondering, Park Mun-su replied fluidly.
"Per Kim Unhaeng's reports, English unbeatable. Fearing later censure, hide Liberation Squadron's major warships in Gangwon and Hamgyong Provinces. Upon Qing envoys, muster troops outwardly to silence them."
Most realistic option now. Even Kim Unhaeng would've sent double ginseng in admiration.
But Yi Hwon thought differently.
Clinging to "realism" would've gotten him killed by his father already.
Yet as crown prince, he'd plotted rebellion, fled palace to hide in a chest, confined his father while feigning filiality. Sane?
Moreover, current boom—vast shipbuilding, trade riches—unprecedented in all histories to Yosun Yutang.
New era demands new thinking.
Easier said; not mere "youthful boldness." Without his absurd experiences, Yi Hwon would've followed Park.
Thus, he nodded not to Park but eyed Hong Bonghan.
Personnel chief Hong smiled faintly.
"When all deem impossible, one always devises odd schemes. Your Highness spares Kim Unhaeng knowing he'll shun office risks, yet none match his adroit handling. I'll manage all before he rallies young officials in remonstrance."
As shocked Park gaped, sly Yi Hwon grinned.
"Entrust to Grand Prince Yeongpungbu."
Three days later, Joseon's full forces entered de facto war.
No strict wartime system, but one decree made it clear.
"Appoint Drillmaster Kim Unhaeng Supreme Commander of the Five Provinces. Too late post-escalation—assume post, ready troops swiftly."
Rank 2 post—Supreme Commander, created first since Byeongja Horan.
Temporary, yet the promotion Kim Unhaeng craved.
And civilian, as desired—conventionally held by literati.
Yi Hwon heard later of Kim's scream of joy, satisfied. Indeed delighted.
Author's Notes
1. So-called "skull towers," dubbed 경관 (京觀), trace to Central Plains records, earliest in Chunqiu Zuozhuan.
Not Jurchen custom. Qing banned like live burials, yet in 1774 White Lotus uprising, Qianlong ordered thousands massacred in rebel areas, piled into mounds "for warning"—no need mimicking 경관 exactly. Plague prevention excuse dubious.
2. Qing Gunzabu (name) ranks high in Mongol Khalkha. As Jasak Prince, one of few blocking Junggar in first revolt peak.
3. British rated Indian cavalry high, infantry low. Rarely sepoy artillery. In-story views match Clive vs. other officers' letters.
Bengal recruitment focused Uttar Pradesh/Hindustan Aryans, preferring "pale-skinned" near-Europeans. Thus, some sepoy units hard to racially distinguish from British.
(Ref: G.J. Bryant, 2000)
4. Many British apothecaries hung skulls, culturing moss believed to hold "brain essence" for nosebleeds. Era calculated solar system to arcseconds while devouring tomb-robbed mummies as medicine.
5. 오도도원수 real post, not hype. E.g., Kang Hongrip.